Since a human genome map was completed in 2000 in a Human Genome Project conducted competitively by the Human Genome Research team and Celera Genomics, researches on the function of a gene and on the detection of a mutated gene have been done worldwide, and oligo DNA chips which is manufactured by using the results of the researches, where an oligomer DNA is bonded and immobilized and which is capable of genotyping various organisms, has been developed around the world.
Particularly, since a oligo DNA chip can genotype viruses, many researches have been done around the world on an oligo DNA chip prepared by immobilizing several oligo DNAs on a substrate of an oligo DNA chip, such as a DNA chip for accurately analyzing the route of a virus infection, confirming whether the virus is harmful or not, and predicting the possibility of cancer occurring by genotyping the virus group which causes cancer.
The DNA chip for genotyping HPV virus, which has been developed recently and spotlighted, is being developed as a DNA chip which can genotype dozens of types of human papiloma viruses (HPV). It is reported that in the case where a virus of a specific genotype is present, the chances of cervical cancer occurring in the future is higher than 90%. Accordingly, said chip has been recognized to be important as a bio chip for prevention of diseases which can predict the chances of a disease occurring, and as a result, has been granted an official permit by the Korea Food and Drug Administration for the first time in the world.
However, DNA chips prepared from modified glass slide where various DNAs are immobilized by using various physical and/or chemical methods go through user handling processes, such as loading, hybridization, washing, etc. In processing many samples by using human hands, there may be following problems, which need to be dealt with surely.
1) Human hands may not operate uniformly. In this regard, even a small difference in washing time or in the speed of dispensing an aqueous solution for washing, etc. may lead to a considerable error. Accordingly, the test results may change depending on the level of the person handling a DNA chip.
2) In a hybridization reaction conducted at a high temperature of about 50° C. for a long time of from about 30 minutes to about 2 hours, as a solvent evaporates, the number of bonding in the solution, e.g., the concentration of DNAs which could participate in the hybridization, increases sharply. In such case, the resulting signals may differ by several times, which makes difficult a positive/negative determination.
3) Particularly, there are cases where fluorescence is visible at a position where no fluorescence should be detected, thereby misleading to conclude that the corresponding DNA is present; that is, there are cases where nonspecific DNA expression occurs, which makes difficult precise genotyping.
4) In the case of a DNA chip, experiments on 4 to 8 samples are conducted in one DNA chip, and accordingly, there are often the cases where several coated solutions are mixed together, causing a serious problem that a sample which should be read negative reads positive. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop new genotyping technology where individual samples can be loaded and analyzed separately.
5) Particularly, a DNA chip based on a glass slide is difficult to manufacture in an easy to use form. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop technology which can produce an article maintaining a performance as a DNA chip and being manufactured in an easy to use form from a material having good processability.
6) In addition, one of the biggest factors preventing the wide use of a DNA chip is that, in order to confirm the final analysis result of the chip, an expensive scanner should be used. Most of the current scanners amount to tens of thousands of dollars, which has hindered the development and use of a DNA chip allowing genotyping of various viruses. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to develop a genotyping strip which can carry out genotyping by using an analyzer of a low price between hundreds and thousands of dollars, and technology of modifying a glass fiber which is essential to manufacture such a strip, that is, a glass fiber which can immobilize DNAs and can be easily processed, and technology of immobilizing various DNAs on a modified glass fiber to allow analysis of various genes, that is, genotyping of various genes.